Morning journal and courier., 1887-11-15
The Ivory Trade of the East Coast of
Africa.

The Ivory Trade of the East Coast of
Africa.
From the London Times
A correspondent of Das Handels- Museum
of Vienna says that for centuries Zanzibar
was the chief mart of ivory, which was for
merly brought partly from the coast, partly
from the interior. But with the increased
consumption and value Of that article ele-
plants are being exterminated, and have to
be sought far away in the interior to the
west of Tanganyika and northwest of Victo-
ria Nyanza. The chief trading center in the
interior is Tabara, in Myamwesi, where vari-
GUS caravan routes meet The practice at
present is for Indian traders to equip cara
van in Zanzibar and place it in charge of an
experienced and trustworthy Arab, who
takes it from Bagamoyo, opposite Zanzibar,
to Tabara. IF ne finds enough ivory there
he exchanges goods which he has brought
for the purpose and starts on the return
journey; but as a rule the caravan has to go
further, and by the information he receives
frem returning caravans the conductor
judges where he can go with most chance of
speedy success. Large quantities of ivory
are usually in the hands of native chiefs,
with whom it is q kind of treasure, and
sometimes it is said the Arab conductors,
who are usually accompanied by we'll armed
escorts, will make war on chief seize his
ivory and sell his people into slavery. #
force cannot be used the trader must patient
ly purchase small quantities from time to
time as occasion arises, and sometimes he is
forced to wait for years in the interior before
he part with all his merchandise and OBJ
tain his loads of ivory. The greater part of
the ivory arrives in Zanzibar in July and Au-
gust; the Indian merchants go to Bagamoyo
to meet their conductors, and then a settle
ment takes place. The cost of the caravan,
with fifteen per cent. per annum, is charged
to the Arab, the Indian takes the ivory, sells
it on account of the Arab and pays the latter
the balance. Arrived in Zanzibar the ivory
is either sent by the Indian merchant direct
to Bombay or to London, it is sold to
Hamburg or American merchants on the
spot. The trade therefore is wholly in the
hands of Indian merchants, but the advan-
tage of having agents of the European mer-
chants in Tabara to purchase ivory systemat-
icaliy and forward it to the coast has been
discussed in Zanzibar, and one Hamburg
firm there decided to try it. A caravan un-
der two Germans WIS dispatched to Tabara,
where one was to remain to establish a
branch, while the other pushed on to Ugan-
da 80 as to be able TO purchase at first hand
One died soon afterwards and the other fell
i'll and was forced to return. The close con-
neetion between the ivory and the slave trade
in the interior must always act as hindrance
to Europeans trading a5 first hand in ivory.
The Arabs usually transport the ivory to the
coast by means of natives whom they have
enslaved or purchased at very low prices,
and then can sell the latter on the coast at a
profit of ten dollars a head. European
traders, on the other hand, must pay the
bearers five dollars a month and an arms
length of cotton stuff per day. No statis-
tics exist respecting the annual export from
Zanzibar, but the writer is convinced that
for ten years past it has been pretty regular.
In the past thirty-fve years the price has
trebled. About 1910 ivory cost one dollar
pound. Now it costs three dollars. Large
tusks, weighing one hundred and fifty to one
hundred and ninety pounds, are much rarer
than they were ten years since, and the num-
Der of smaller tusks has greatly increased.
Zanzibar ivory stands higher in the market
than that from Abyssinia, Egypt or the west
coast The export from Mozambique and
the north and south Somali coasts is COM
paratively small. The best ivory is used tor
the manufacture of billiard balls; the inferi-
or sorts are converted into knife handles, Or
naments, etc.